ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
MSP Operations during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21
About 48.96 Lakh Paddy Farmers have benefitted from KMS Procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 78423.17 Crore
In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season  2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 has progressed smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand with purchase of over 415.37 LMTs of paddy up to 20.12.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 341.68 LMT showing an increase of 21.56 % over last year. Out of the total purchase of 415.37 LMT, Punjab alone has purchased 202.77 LMT till the close of procurement season in the state on 30.11.2020 which is 48.81% of total procurement in the country.
About 48.96 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 78423.17 Crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 51.00 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme . Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra  for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. For other States/UTs, approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds and Copra under PSS so that procurement of FAQ grade of these crops can be made at notified MSP for the year 2020-21 directly from the registered farmers, if the market rate goes below MSP during the notified harvesting period in the respective States/UTs by the Central Nodal Agencies through State nominated procuring agencies.
Upto 20.12.2020, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 204529.20 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs. 1096.13 Crores benefitting 112077 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Similarly, 5089 MT of copra  having MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu upto 20.12.2020 as against the last year corresponding purchase of 293.34 MT of copra. In respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States. The respective State/UTs Governments are making necessary arrangements for commencement of procurement from the date as decided by the respective States based on the arrivals in respect of Kharif Pulses and Oilseeds.
Procurement operations of seed cotton  under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Till 20.12.2020 a quantity of 5835040 cotton bales valuing Rs.17090.58 Crore has been procured benefitting 1125857 farmers.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
AGRITECH STARTUPS
This Ministry has been implementing a programme called Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana  since 2018-19 with an objective to promote innovation and agri-entrepreneurship by providing financial and technical support for nurturing agri startups including agritech startups using digital techniques. Five Knowledge Partners  as Center of Excellence and twenty four RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators  have been appointed from across the country for implementation of this programme.
Under the Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development programme, a total of 799 start-ups in the field of agriculture and allied sectors including agritech startups have been provided technical and financial support.
Besides, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research  has been supporting Agri-based startups including agritech startups using digital techniques under the project called National Agriculture Innovation Fund  initiated in the year 2016-2017. It has two components viz. I. Innovation Fund; II. Incubation Fund and National Coordinating Unit . ICAR Agribusiness Incubators  provide technical backstopping and other incubation services to startups /entrepreneurs including agritech startups. ICAR through its ABIs in 50 institutes has supported a total of 818 startups including agritech startups.
Under the Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship programme of RKVY, funds are released to KPs and R-ABIs and not state-wise. One R-ABI has been established in Chaudhary Charan Singh University , Hisar for supporting startups in agriculture & allied sector in Haryana. Selected agritech startups using digital techniques may take technical and financial support at the incubation centre established in CCSU, Hisar, Haryana under the programme for benefitting farmers including from Karnal.
Under NAIF programme of ICAR, one Agri-Business Incubation  Center has been established in National Dairy Research Institute , Karnal. Selected agritech startups using digital techniques in Karnal may take technical support at the above incubation centre. These startups benefit farmers by solving problems related to the farm economy and enhance profitability & efficiency of the farm sector.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Power
BBMB waging a war from the front against COVID -19 at Nangal
BHAKRA BEAS MANAGEMENT BOARD under the Ministry of Power has stepped forward to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the second wave of COVID pandemic.
BBMB have taken several steps to fight this virus by creating an infrastructure for setting up COVID ISOLATION CENTRE at BBMB Hospital Nangal Township for serving the society by treating COVID-19 infected patients. This dedicated COVID ISOLATION CENTRE is maintained with 65 isolation beds equipped with oxygen facility. This Hospital is providing excellent Health Services during this critical phase to the employees, their family members, contractual workers as well as to the local society. Local administration has created HELP GROUPS with nodal doctor facility to provide initial advice/ helping tips and guidance to fight corona symptoms and encourage them for home isolation. Special COVID HOME ISOLATION TEAMS are providing medical Kits and all help needed for home Quarantine patients and these helping teams remain always in touch with them. RT PCR testing facility has also been provided free of cost in the hospital to all local residents. Vaccination drive is also being carried out daily for employees, their family members contract workers and also general public with daily average of 200 persons. In case of any casualty, staff of the Nangal Hospital is helping in cremation with covid protocols and also by following rituals.
BBMB is taking lead in providing much needed medical support in the area at this time of crisis in accordance with the guidelines of the Government of India.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Growth of Digital Healthcare Services in the country
Government of India has recognised the potential of Digital Health for strengthening of healthcare delivery system across the country. Toward this, various schemes/programmes have initiated for implementation of digital health initiative.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has been launched to create an enabling environment for implementation of digital health technologies in health domain. Under the ABDM, the three key registries namely Health ID, Health Professional Registry , Health Facility Registry  and digital infrastructure for data exchange have been developed. The digital health ecosystem established under ABDM supports seamless exchange of data across primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities to ensure continuum of care. Citizens is benefitted with lower out of pocket expenditure, reduced repeat testing, precision medicine, customized treatment plans, and quality of service across spectrum.
Government of India has also proactively implemented e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform to provide free of cost teleconsultation services to citizens for COVID as well as Non-COVID ailments. It is operational in 36 States/UTs & provides doctors/specialist medical services to citizens through online consultation mode from the comfort of their homes besides consultations through hub & spoke model in Health & Wellness Centres.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the RajyaSabha today.
Ministry of Defence
First ever visit by Indian Naval Ships to the historic port city of Mongla, Bangladesh 8th - 10th Mar 2021
Indian Naval Ships Sumedha, an indigenously build Offshore Patrol vessel and Kulish, an indigenously built guided missile corvette, are scheduled to make a port call at the historic port town of Mongla in Bangladesh from 8th to 10th March 2021 to commemorate the ongoing Swarnim Vijay Varsh and reiterating the historic Indo-Bangladeshi friendship.
This is the first time that any Indian Naval Ship is visiting the port of Mongla in Bangladesh and the visit is aimed at paying homage to the Bangladeshi and Indian combatants and citizens who laid down their lives during the Liberation War of 1971, and reiterate India’s firm resolve and commitment to maintain peace, stability and good order in the region, in line with SAGAR - Security and Growth for all in the Region, as articulated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
On behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff, the Commanding Officers of the ships will call on the senior Bangladesh Navy hierarchy to reaffirm Indian Navy’s solidarity and partnership with the Bangladesh Navy. Following all Covid-19 protocols, the ships’ crew will also participate in professional and cultural exchanges as well as friendly sports fixtures with their counterparts in the Bangladesh Navy, further enhancing synergy between the two navies.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Cabinet approves MoU amongst BRICS nations regarding cooperation in the social and labour sphere
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding  among Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa, regarding Cooperation in the Social and Labour Sphere.The MoU was signed on 3rd August, 2018 during BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers  Meeting.
Details:
In the MoU, the parties including India have agreed to cooperate and hold mutual events in the prominent areas viz. labour legislation and enforcement, protection of workers' rights with focus on vulnerable groups, Employment and labour market policies, Professional education, skills and training and Social protection. The member countries may utilize the BRICS Network of Labour Research Institutes and BRICS Social Security Cooperation Framework for cooperation on Social Security and other labour issues. The Memorandum is not an International Treaty and does not create rights and obligations for the parties governed by international law.
Major Impact:
The MoU provides a mechanism for cooperation, collaboration and maximum synergy amongst BRICS member countries with the common objective of inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the newindustrial revolution. This would facilitate member countries to share knowledge and also implement joint programmes on .matter of Labour and Employment, Social Security and Social dialogue. This would also ensure networking of international Training Centre of International Labour Organisation  with the BRICS Network of Labour Institutes which includes V.V. Giri National Labour Institute of India. This network would specifically focus on the theme of youth employment and research on new forms of employment. This network will also explore new learning technologies, including virtual network to deepen cooperation, exchange of information and capacity building. The BRICS Social Security cooperation framework will deepen social security cooperation among BRICS nations and would facilitate cooperation for improvement of social security systems and social security agreements among member countries.
Background:
The 2ndmeeting of BRICS Employment Working Group was held on 30th July to 1st August 2018 and BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial meeting took place from 2nd August, 2018 to 3rd August, 2018 under the South African Presidency in Durban, South Africa. The Draft MoU between BRICS countries regarding cooperation in the social and labour sphere was discussed, deliberated and finalized in the BRICS EWG meeting held between 30th July and 1st August 2018 and was signed by respective labour Ministers of BRICS member countries on 3rd August 2018. The provisions of the MoU clearly indicate its objectives as cooperation in thenature of successful sharing of policy measures; exchange programmes; consultations; expert meetings and conference etc. in the social and labour sphere.
Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s remarks at the beginning of the Budget Session of Parliament
Greetings to all!
This is the first session of 2020. This is also the first session of this decade. We must strive to turn this session into a strong foundation for a bright future of this decade. Today, the Hon'ble President will address the Parliament and tomorrow this year's budget will also be presented. Let this session focus upon maximum possible economic issues and the way by which India can take advantage of the global economic scenario. Strengthening its economic activities, India should get the maximum benefits of the global conditions. Our government has been identified with the empowerment of the oppressed, the exploited, the deprived classes and women. We will be focussing upon the same in this decade too. And I would like to have a much wider and a better discussion on the economic issues and empowerment of people in both the Houses. And the quality of our discussion must become more enriched over the days. With this belief, I thank you all very much. Namaskar!
Ministry of Earth Sciences
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research observes World Ocean Day
Goa| June 8, 2023
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research , under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, organized a beach cleanliness drive at Baina beach in South Goa today to celebrate World Ocean Day. This event aimed to raise awareness about the urgent need for ocean conservation.
Dr. Anil Kumar, a distinguished scientist from the NCPOR, shared insightful comments on this momentous occasion. Highlighting the crucial role of oceans in maintaining global climate balance, Dr. Kumar emphasized the imperative of protecting our oceans due to their immense heat-absorbing capacity. With the capability to absorb heat 50 times greater than the atmosphere, the oceans play a vital role in regulating climate patterns. However, the ocean's capacity is currently being surpassed, resulting in the transfer of excess heat back to the atmosphere and consequently affecting human lives.
Additionally, Dr. Kumar shed light on the detrimental effects of greenhouse gas emissions, with carbon monoxide being the primary culprit. These gases are primarily released through the usage of motor vehicles and combustion processes. The resulting layer of greenhouse gases prevents longwave radiation from escaping back into space, leading to a greenhouse effect. As a consequence, excess heat and carbon dioxide are absorbed by the oceans, primarily in the polar regions due to their lower temperatures. Once saturation levels are reached, this absorbed heat and carbon dioxide are released back into the atmosphere through oceanic circulation, contributing to atmospheric warming and exacerbating global climate change.
The NCPOR focuses its research efforts on studying the Antarctic and Arctic regions, where accelerated melting of glaciers and ice shelves has resulted in significant meltwater discharge into the oceans. This, coupled with thermal expansion in tropical regions, has led to rising sea levels—a grave concern for the global ocean system. Dr. Kumar emphasized the responsibility of each individual in curbing pollution and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. He urged one and all to make a difference by adopting sustainable practices, such as reducing vehicular usage and embracing public transportation. The beach cleanup was also participated by College and School students from surrounding areas at Vasco.
GSK/SRT/PM
(Visitor Counter : 144
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Vaccination Drive among Tribalcommunities
Under Universal Immunization Programme  vaccines including Hepatitis B are provided free of cost across the country including tribal areas.
“Public Health and Hospital” being a state subject, the primary responsibility of improving the accessibility of health services for tribal communities is that of respective State/UT government.
However, National Health Mission  supports the efforts of the State/UT governments to provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to all including tribal communities. Under NHM, tribal areas are given certain relaxed norms as under
- Relaxed norms for health facilities: Against the population norms of 5,000, 30,000, and 1,20,000 for setting up of Sub Centre, PHC and CHC respectively, in tribal and desert areas it is 3,000, 20,000 and 80,000 respectively.
- A new norm of "time to care" has also been adopted for setting up Sub Health centres in tribal areas under which a Sub Health centre can be set up within 30 minutes of walk from habitation
- States have been provided with the flexibility of relaxing the norm of one ASHA per 1000 population to one ASHA per habitation in Tribal/hilly and difficult areas.
- While other States had Mobile Medical Units per 10 lakh populations subject to capping of 5 MMUs per district, in tribal and hilly states, this norm could be further relaxed as per need. Recently, the norms for MMU have been revised to have additional MMU wherever it exceeds 60patients per day in plain areas and 30 patients per day in tribal/hilly areas.
- In addition, all tribal majority districts whose composite health index is below the State average, have been identified as High Priority Districts . These districts receive higher per capita funding, and are encouraged to adopt innovative approaches to address their peculiar health challenges.
In addition to routine immunization sessions, special drives like Mission Indradhanush, Intensified Mission Indradhanush, Gram SwarajAbhiyaan , Extended Gram SwarajAbhiyaan have been conducted to reach out to left out and hard to reach childrenwhich includes the underserved and hard to reach populations dwelling in forested and tribal areas.
The Minister of State , Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Status of Goitre or Thyroid Disorders in India
India has completed its transition from iodine deficiency to iodine replete status. It is believed that iodine supplementation can cause a spurt in autoimmune thyroid dysfunction and hypothyroidism, by making the thyroid gland more susceptible to damage by body’s own immune system. The prevalence of self-reported goitre or thyroid disorder in National Family Health Survey IV [NFHS IV ] was 2.2%, while it was 2.9% in NFHS-V .
The NFHS IV  has reported that amongst individuals between the age 15-49 years, the self-reported prevalence of goitre or thyroid disorder was nearly 2% in females and less than 1% in males. Also, the reported prevalence increased with age in women . As per NFHS V, the details of States/UTs wise cases reported are given below.
|
|
Goitre or Thyroid Disorders
|
|
STATE/UT
|
|
Number of Women per 100000
|
|
Kerala
|
|
8696
|
|
Jammu and Kashmir
|
|
6809
|
|
Delhi NCT
|
|
5926
|
|
Telangana
|
|
5763
|
|
West Bengal
|
|
5298
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
4551
|
|
Tamil Nadu
|
|
4076
|
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
|
3776
|
|
Tripura
|
|
3643
|
|
Punjab
|
|
3407
|
|
Manipur
|
|
2989
|
|
Haryana
|
|
2701
|
|
Assam
|
|
2642
|
|
Goa
|
|
2548
|
|
Uttarakhand
|
|
2411
|
|
Sikkim
|
|
2220
|
|
Maharashtra
|
|
2126
|
|
Odisha
|
|
2081
|
|
Meghalaya
|
|
1988
|
|
Karnataka
|
|
1969
|
|
Bihar
|
|
1705
|
|
Jharkhand
|
|
1697
|
|
Rajasthan
|
|
1310
|
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
|
1281
|
|
Gujarat
|
|
1151
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
|
1087
|
|
Mizoram
|
|
908
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
903
|
|
Arunachal Pradesh
|
|
732
|
|
Nagaland
|
|
505
As per the NFHS IV , amongst 6,99,686 women in their reproductive age groups , those in the highest quintile of wealth index had three to four-fold higher risk of having thyroid disorders. In addition, there was a graded increase in risk of having thyroid disorders from poorest to richest.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the RajyaSabha today.
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways’ Human Resource Vertical performance indices witness perceptible change
IR Speeds up Selection process, suitability tests, compassionate appointment cases
Indian Railways has always been at the forefront in the matters of employee engagement and welfare. One of the most ambitious initiatives which is going to cater to the almost 12 lakh strong workforce of Indian Railways is Human Resource Management System . With digitalization, pass facility, final settlement on retirement, transfer cases have already been taken up through HRMS. As a result of such initiatives, there is a perceptible change in the performance indices of Human Resource vertical.
In the recent months, large numbers of promotions have been given by Indian Railways so far in this financial year. Indian Railways have promoted 72,825 employees so far during last 5 months of this Financial Year. Due to the sheer size, number of stakeholders and complexities involved, implementation of any HR related initiative is a mammoth task. However, all the field units have risen to the challenge and roughly 6% employees have already been benefited in the first 5 months of FY 2022-23. It is expected that 10-11% employees would be beneficiaries of promotion in this financial year. Compassionate ground appointments are another major welfare initiative of Indian Railways with approximately 6000 cases of appointment every year. It is one of the major security nets available to railway employees.
In 2022, out of 928 selections due as on 1.4.2022, 794 have been completed amounting to 86%, thereby showing an increase of 40% from the corresponding period last year. Out of 1063 selections due as on 1.4.2021, 487 selections were completed till the end of August 2021 which amounts to roughly 46%. The three better performing Railways were ER, NR, SER.
In 2022, out of 3334 suitability tests due as on 1.4.2022, 3124 have been completed, amounting to 94%, thereby showing an increase of 14% from the corresponding period last year. Out of 3035 suitability/trade tests due as on 1.4.2021, 2420 suitability/trade tests were completed till the end of August 2021 which amounts to roughly 80%. The three better performing Railways were ECoR, NR & SER.
In 2022, out of 3647 compassionate appointment cases due as on 1.4.2022, 2936 have been completed, amounting to 81%, thereby showing an increase of 2% from the corresponding period last year. Out of 5783 compassionate appointments due as on 1.1.2021, 4542 cases were completed till the end of August 2021 which amounts to roughly 79%. The three better performing Railways were ECoR, NCR & NR.YB/DNS
(Visitor Counter : 1770